15. Robert Altman's A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION 
Ah, Robert Altman. You were a brilliant artist. You once said "in movies there is no end other than death. A movie can end with a wedding, but what it doesn't show is the divorce, than brutal murder of the unfaithful husband by the jealous ex-wife two months later. The only end is death." He satirized that in THE PLAYER, and he said it solemnly (but still teaming with life) in NASHVILLE. A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION was his final film, based on the radio show that I've grown up listening to every Saturday night. Of course, like most Altman films, it isn't really about the synopsis, but about something deeper and more common among us all. As the radio show "A Prairie Home Companion" is about to play its final broadcast, the crew reflects about the good times and the bad, life, and death. Altman was always an actor's director, and the cast is pretty impressive here: Woody Harrelson, John C. Reilly, Tommy Lee Jones, Kevin Kline, Virginia Madsen, Meryl Streep, Lindsay Lohan (not a dumb teenager or a slut, but a real solid character!), Maya Rudolph, and Altman's favorite actor to work with: Lily Tomlin. A gem of a film.
Ah, Robert Altman. You were a brilliant artist. You once said "in movies there is no end other than death. A movie can end with a wedding, but what it doesn't show is the divorce, than brutal murder of the unfaithful husband by the jealous ex-wife two months later. The only end is death." He satirized that in THE PLAYER, and he said it solemnly (but still teaming with life) in NASHVILLE. A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION was his final film, based on the radio show that I've grown up listening to every Saturday night. Of course, like most Altman films, it isn't really about the synopsis, but about something deeper and more common among us all. As the radio show "A Prairie Home Companion" is about to play its final broadcast, the crew reflects about the good times and the bad, life, and death. Altman was always an actor's director, and the cast is pretty impressive here: Woody Harrelson, John C. Reilly, Tommy Lee Jones, Kevin Kline, Virginia Madsen, Meryl Streep, Lindsay Lohan (not a dumb teenager or a slut, but a real solid character!), Maya Rudolph, and Altman's favorite actor to work with: Lily Tomlin. A gem of a film.14. Rian Johnson's BRICK
A brilliant noir film. I don't even like noir in general (Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney, etc. etc.), so this is really my favorite noir film when I think about it. I remember when Joseph Gordon-Leavitt was just a little kid alongside Danny Glover in ANGELS IN THE OUTFIELD (which was the first live-action movie I ever saw in theaters, when I was four years old). He's a man now. This thing is white-hot, a script that seemed to drop from heaven right into rookie director Rian Johnson's lap. It's just so fucking cool. From the hard-boiled lines to the playful ones, BRICK knows how to take itself seriously but not too seriously, and somehow ends up not being a complete parody of itself, which it could have been without changing a single word in the script. And yes, the Vice Principal is SHAFT. "Cool" is the only word for this film.13. John Lasseter's CARS
Blah blah blah this is Pixar's weakest story and their worst movie so far. Haters be damned. Any movie that has Larry the Cable Guy that isn't the film equivalence of an abortion is pretty much a mini-masterpiece to start out with. I saw this one twice in theaters (once at the drive-thru, hey hey), and I loved it. It starts out cheesy, but man, once it gets going it really doesn't stop. Not as fast-paced as THE INCREDIBLES, and it doesn't have the memorable characters that the TOY STORY films have, but if this was the first CGI film, it would be considered as landmark and as brilliant a film as TOY STORY is today. And yeah, it's purty.12. Christopher Nolan's THE PRESTIGE
I've got to say that I was skeptical going into this. The trailer didn't blow me away, and it looked like a transition project for Chris Nolan and Christian Bale between they're BATMAN films. The final package was something else though, an intricately written and well-acted film that ensnared me. We all know the story: Batman and Wolverine are actually dueling magicians in turn of the (19th) century London, whose partnership turns to rivalry, which turns to maniacal, homicidal lunacy. The twist wasn't completely shocking, but it was still a riveting journey into a dark realm of the human heart that everyone has. Nolan is four-for-four, if you're counting.11. The Hippy Couples' LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
The little indy hit that could, LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE's cuteness factor is pretty undeniable. Although I'm glad it didn't win Best Picture over another movie I enjoyed a bit (it's a crime flick that will show up later on the list), it deserved its nomination. The script was reportedly bought for over $8 million, and I can see why. As good as the performances were (Alan Arkin got an Oscar and he was only the third best male in the movie, in my opinion), these parts were all written well and fully fleshed out. Abigail Breslin is especially good as the innocence; the glue that keeps the family somewhat sane as a road trip to the Little Miss Sunshine Pageant quickly turns into something of a trip down the rabbit hole, and a metaphor for the American obsession for self-improvement and never reflecting on all you have.
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